On the meaning of
uṣṇa (1.59a) in relation to food, Meulenbeld writes (1974: 254 fn. 13):
Cakra mentions as a variant: katvamlalavaṇakṣāra (pungent, acid, saline and caustic). Cakra remarks that the term `hot' (uṣṇa) denotes hot on touch when it occurs the first time, and hot with regard to potency
when it occurs for the second time.
The compound
harītaśāka in 1.59a is spelt
haritaśāka in other works. The spelling
harīta was probably adopted for metrical reasons. In some Nighaṇṭus,
haritaśāka is glossed as horseradish (
śigru).
Rājanighaṇṭu 7.26
śigrur haritaśākaś ca śākapattraḥ supattrakaḥ/
Sauśrutanighaṇṭu 75ab
śigruko haritaśākaś ca mato vai mūlapatrakaḥ/
Brahmānanda’s understanding of
harītaśāka as
pattraśāka is probably wrong if
pattraśāka was intended as ‘leafy vegetables.’ But he may have used the term
pattraśāka in the sense of horseradish (
śigru) as the dictionary notes that
pattraśāka is probably equivalent to
śākapattra, which is mentioned in
Rājanighaṇṭu 7.26 (above).
The term
sauvīra (1.59b) probably means sour gruel. Brahmānanda glosses
sauvīra as
kāñjika, which is `fermented rice water.' On
sauvīra, Meulenbeld (1974: 516–517) says '
sauvīra is sour gruel made from barley and wheat.' The process of making it is described
in the
Suśrutasaṃhitā (1.44.35--40ab) as follows:
Roots of trivṛt etc., the first group (vidārigandhādi), mahat pañcamūla, mūrvā and
śārṅgaṣṭā, and also of snuhī, haimavatī, triphalā, ativiṣā and vacā -- these are taken
and divided into two parts out of which one is decocted and the other is powdered;
now, crushed barley grains are impregnated with the above decoction several times,
dried and then slightly fried. Taking three parts of this and one part of the above
powder are put in a jar and mixed with their (of trivṛt etc.) cold decoction and fermented
properly. This is known as sauvīraka. (trans. Sharma 2018 (vol.1): 406)
However, according to some Nighaṇṭus,
sauvīra can also mean stibnite (an ingredient in some
añjanas and medicines). For example, in the
Rājanighaṇṭu (13.86):
añjanaṃ yāmunaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ nādeyaṃ mecakaṃ tathā
srotojaṃ dṛkpradaṃ nīlaṃ sauvīraṃ ca suvīrajam//
Note also that the
Yogaprakāśikā (1.53) takes
sauvīra with
taila, perhaps to solve the problem of
taila on its own (see below for more on this). The compound
sauvīrataila is explained as `oil produced in the place Suvīra' (
suvīradeśodbhavatailam). According to Ali (1966: 144), Suvīra is known as a country that was also called
Suvira (V.79), Sauvira (XVI.21) and Sauvīraka (IV.23). He identifies it with the Rohri/Khairpur
region of Sind.
The word
taila could refer to
tilataila. This is supported by the following rule (
paribhāṣā) in the
Śārṅgadharasaṃhitā (48):
anuktāvasthāyāṃ paribhāṣāvidhiḥ [...]
taile ’nukte tilodbhavam. We thank Dominik Wujastyk for this reference.
Our translation of
madya takes into account the following remarks of James McHugh (2021: 8):
The most general Sanskrit term to denote drinks that create a drunken state is madya “intoxicating [drink].” Translating this word is hard. “Inebriating drink” is clumsy
to my ear. “Intoxicating” contains the unfortunate “toxic” element that is not present
in the Sanskrit word, though at least in English this is a common word, applicable
to various substances and states and lacking any “toxic” associations in everyday
usage.
In the compound
ājādimāṃsa (1.59c), the adjective
āja is required for the metre, so variants beginning with
aja can be dismissed. Another well-attested reading is
ājāvimāṃsa. Although this was probably read as `goat and sheep flesh,'
āvi is not attested as an adjective of sheep, so this reading was probably not original.
Moreover, only
ājādimāṃsa makes good sense. Diwakar Acharya believes that the prohibition of goat flesh and
fish in this verse suggests it derives from the North East of India.
The term
kulattha means a kind of pulse, translated by Dominik Wujastyk (1998: 77) as `poor man's pulse.'
The word
kola is a name for
Zizyphus Jujuba Mill. (Nadkarni 1926: 919--920). It is also known as
badara. This is how Brahmānanda understands it in
Jyotsnā 1.59 (
kolaṃ kolyāḥ phalaṃ badaram). According to Nadkarni, the fruit of the wild variety is very acid and astringent.
It is believed to purify the blood and assist digestion. The bark is astringent and
a simple remedy for diarrhoea. The root is useful as a decoction in fever and delirium.
There are references to
kola being pungent, though this does not seem to indicate sufficiently why
kola is mentioned separately in the
Haṭhapradīpikā as an unwholesome food. Diwakar Acharya has informed us that
kola can refer to a type of banana in some parts of India.
According to Sharma (1982: 69),
piṇyāka is 'the remnant paste of oily seeds after pressing out the oil content.’ This can
then be made into a cake with a strong flavour, which may account for its inclusion
in this list of unwholesome foods (we thank Diwakar Acharya for this information).
The term
hiṅgu means Asafoetida (Nadkarni 1926: 360–361). As to why it might be considered unwholesome,
the following comments by Nadkarni give some indication:
If long continued, even in moderate doses, it gives rise to alliaceous eructations,
acrid irritation in the throat, flatulence, diarrhoea and burning in the urine.